Rating: 4.5 of 5
Synopsis: “[A] retwisting of the classic Snow White tale in which the daughter of a snow owl must find her own identity while unraveling the story of her parents and her people.” (source)
My thoughts: Opal set itself apart from others by its premise and its vivid imagery. The main character is an animal transformed into a human just as her journey to the truth begins. Normally, in a fairy tale, getting turned into an animal is a curse the protagonist has to overcome by breaking a spell or accepting their true self. Not in this story, and that was only one of the twists in Wojtaszek’s fairytale-inspired fantasy.
I wasn’t sure if the alternating viewpoints (“Fire” for the owl-turned-human; “Stone” for the abused prince) would work for me, but ultimately, they did; I found switching between the two added a bit of tension and suspense as the owl-turned-human’s journey brought her ever closer to Prince Androw’s tale. All in all, an enjoyable story and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Why not a full 5 stars? I docked half a star because 20-30 more pages would’ve added more depth to three “chapters” of the story that felt a bit rushed.
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(Review cross-posted on LibraryThing and Goodreads.)